Cambridgeshire's chalk streams

New River, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

The New River is the nearest river to Burwell and could be a beautiful chalk stream but for the fact that it has been 'ditched' where it runs through farmland, so it is easily mistaken for just another drainage ditch! Hopefully the photos here will reveal some of the beauty of this neglected river.

The New River rises in Suffolk, between Exning and Newmarket (map ref. TL 62 64). The source is a privately owned boggy area known as Seven Springs or The Marsh. St Wendred's Well and Favin's Head are also part of the source area.

The New River then passes north beneath the A45 (at map ref. TL 622 653) before flowing north through Exning village. Exning is one of the few places along the river that makes a feature (Ducks Lane) of this beautiful chalk stream which mostly flows through farmland so has been transformed into a ditch.

After Exning the New River flows north east for about 2 Km to Landwade Hall then north east to Crowhall farm where it crosses the border from Suffolk into Cambridgeshire. The river is accessible via a permissive access footpath on crowhall Farm, for best part of a kilometre.

The river leaves Crowhall farm flowing beneath the B1102 at map reference TL 608 696. It then turns west to Wicken Fen where it flows into Burwell Lode and then into the River Cam at Upware.